Description
Book SynopsisLiterary analysis and theological interpretation of Catholic, University of Paris chancellor Jean Gerson’s (d. 1429) Donatus moralizatus and Muslim, Sufi scholar ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Qushayrī’s (d. 1072) Naḥw al-qulūb. Argues that the genre of these two religious texts aims to engender saintly readers and uses grammar as metaphor for spiritual realities.
Trade Review"Longo engages in an intriguing comparative inquiry into spiritual grammar in medieval Arabic and Latin treatises.Delineating and crossing boundaries and genres, he explores a new confusing yet delightful subfield in the genre of comparative theological Islamo-Christian studies." -- -Pim Valkenberg The Catholic University of America "Dominic Longo helps us to understand Islam and Christianity in deeper ways through the genre of 'spiritual grammar'. This is an extraordinary book that will benefit scholars of Islam, Christianity, and Comparative Theology." -- -Amir Hussain Loyola Marymount University
Table of ContentsList of Abbreviations | xi
Preface | xiii
Introduction. Genre Trouble: Queering Grammar for Spiritual Purposes | 1
1 Arabic, Latin, and the Discipline of Grammar in the Worlds of Qushayrī and Gerson | 27
2 Genres and Genders of Gerson | 53
3 Gerson’s “Moralized” Primer of Spiritual Grammar | 81
4 From the Names of God to the Grammar of Hearts | 117
5 Forming Spiritual Fuṣaḥāʾ: Qushayrī’s Advanced Grammar of Hearts | 150
6 The Fruits of Comparison: Constructing a Theology of Grammar | 186
Appendix. Translation of Jean Gerson’s Moralized Grammar | 217
Notes | 233
Index | 269
